


Where in the World is Allura Sandiego?

by Hushman



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019), Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, Pidge is Player, The carmen sandiego universe that combines Voltron characters with CS Characters, carmen sandiego au, plance, slow burn plance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:28:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29353473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hushman/pseuds/Hushman
Summary: Allura Sandiego is a master thief who uses her skills for good. Chased by the tenacious Inspector Lance McClain of Interpol as well as the secretive A.C.M.E., Allura and her gang of savvy sidekicks travels the world foiling the evil schemes of the criminal organisation V.I.L.E.
Relationships: Lance/Pidge (Voltron), Lance/Pidge | Katie Holt
Comments: 7
Kudos: 14





	1. An eventful night in Poitiers

It was late at night in the French city of Poitiers. Through the empty side streets drove a car carrying two Interpol agents.

“Alright Romelle, break it down for me, one last time.”

“Right away Inspector McClain,” Romelle said as she brought up the relevant data on her tablet.

“Just call me Lance,” Lance replied. “I know you’re still relatively new but if we’re going to be partners we shouldn’t have to deal with such formalities.”

“You just don’t want to say my surname because you’re scared you’ll pronounce it wrong.”

“Could we focus on the case at hand?” Lance asked in mild irritation.

Romelle gave a good-natured eye roll but proceeded to give the intel on one Allura Sandiego.

“In just the last few weeks, this Allura Sandiego has managed to rob millions of euros combined from a Swiss bank, a high-end art gallery in Cairo, and a Shanghai amusement park. All before vanishing without a trace. Headquarters has yet to discern any pattern except that our perpetrator always wears a scarlet coat and fedora and seems to announce her crimes by making random public appearances beforehand.”

“Such as the nearby cafe sighting earlier today,” Lance concluded. “So we must ask ourselves: Who in the world is Allura Sandiego? Why would a thief draw attention to herself by leaving clues and wearing bold colours?”

“And why are we looking into this?” Romelle asked. “We weren’t assigned the Sandiego case and Poitiers doesn’t exactly fall within our jurisdiction.”

Lance scoffed.

“Jurisdiction? We are Interpol! Our duty is to hunt down the criminal element regardless of where they might be!” 

Romelle looked at her partner sceptically.

“Why are we really here?”

“A close friend and mentor was concerned that the local authorities weren’t taking this red threat seriously enough so asked me to look into this as a favour. Though I’m not sure what the lady in red would be doing here of all places.”

“Poitiers is rich with medieval history,” Romelle commented. “Perhaps she is targeting a priceless antique or historical artifact from one of its many churches.”

“Could be but we need a more specific target,” Lance replied. “As pleasant as Poitiers is at night we’re not going to find Carmen idly wandering its streets.”

“SHE’S RIGHT THERE!”

The car screeched to a halt, Lance looked back to where Romelle was pointing and indeed saw a lady in a red coat and fedora.

“LA DAMA ROJA!” Lance exclaimed.

The car did a sharp u-turn and raced towards Allura only to see her shoot out a line and be pulled skywards.

Lance brought the car to another screeching halt. He and Romelle got out of the car in time to see Allura climb up the roof and out of sight.

“I’m going after her!” Lance declared. “Stay here and call for back up!”

Romelle watched Lance run off before getting back into the car and radioing for assistance.

* * *

Allura Sandiego stood on a rooftop, wind billowing through her coat and long white hair as she stopped to take in the view. 

“On top of the world,” She said wistfully. “I can see La Cathédrale Saint-Pierre from here.”

There was a beep from her earing communicators.

“Friendly advice? Save the sight-seeing for after the job.”

“Duly noted Pidge.”

“Red! We’re in the field,” Pidge scolded. “Code names only.” 

“Sure thing Player,” Allura said with a smirk. “Lead the way.”

“Your next stop is 50 yards dead ahead.”

Allura raced across the rooftops until she made it to the rooftop of a far fancier looking building.

She approached the skylight and pulled out a device that looked like a lipstick. She plugged the device into the junction box.

“Analyzing frequencies... Decrypting security codes... Alarm system disabled,” Pidge said over the comms. “But... I'm picking up another signal. Could be a trap.”

Allura simply smirked as she pulled out her handheld plasma cutter.

“Let's find out.”

Once she opened the skylight she used her line to lower herself down.

Just as she was an inch away from touching the ground, she heard a beep and saw a bunch of arrows flying towards her. Acting quickly, she grabbed a nearby shield and used it to block the barrage.

“What was that?” Pidge asked.

“The sound of something becoming worth significantly less,” Allura replied.

* * *

Lance kicked down the front door of the building he had seen the crimson ghost enter. He raced to the elevator. He pressed the button for it to take him to the top floor.

With a series of loud creaks, groans and clangs, the elevator came to life and sluggishly started to rise, causing Lance to let out a groan of his own.

“Is this elevator part of Poitiers’ rich medieval history too?” He asked in dismay

* * *

“Who walls up an atrium?” Allura pondered out loud as she examined the space.

“Anyone who values storage over natural light,” Pidge offered.

“She said a little too knowingly,” Allura said with a smirk.

“Hey,” Pidge said indignantly. “Don’t be disrespecting my inner sanctum.” 

Allura rolled her eyes but found what she was looking for. She pulled a leaver disguised as a lighting fixture, causing a wall to slide away and reveal a massive safe.

“You called it, Player.”

Allura pulled out a device from her coat which she then attached to the safe door. She then waited patiently for Pidge to do her thing.

“Safe cracked.” She finally announced.

The safe door swung open, revealing countless treasures, including The Eye of Vishnu, a massive blue gem that was the target for the break in. Though just as Allura was about to enter the safe she let out a gasp when her eyes fell on something on the other side of the room.

“What is it, Red?” Pidge asked.

“I'm staring at something I thought I'd never, ever set eyes on again.”

“It better be more valuable than a sparkly blue gemstone the size of my head.”

“Define ‘valuable’,” Allura replied. “They say beauty's in the eye of the beholder.”

“Are you gonna tell me what it is, Red, or…”

There was a loud banging on a nearby door.

“Interpol! Open this door!”

“That’s your cue to leave,” Pidge declared. “Bag the gem and get out of there.”

* * *

Lance had given up on the elevator after one floor and ran up the stairs the rest of the way. 

After demanding the door be opened second time, he proceeded to kick it open. Once inside he saw Allura closing a bag around something.

“Stop! Thief!”

Lance raced forward to grab her. She kicked over a stool, tripping him up and throwing him off balance. She then took the opportunity off his shoulders, causing the inspector to fall to the ground.

“On whose authority?” Allura asked mockingly.

Lance picked himself up and reached for his badge.

“On the authority of, uh…” Lance stopped when he realised his badge was gone. He looked back to see Allura holding it.

“Lance McClain, Interpol.” She said, inspecting the ID before throwing it back to Lance. “It’s so nice to meet you but I really must be going.”

Before Lance could grab her she shot out her line and pulled herself back out the skylight. Not willing to give up, Lance raced to a nearby window and swung it open.

“I order you to stop!”

To Lance’s absolute surprise. Allura stopped and waited patiently for him to climb out the window and shimmy across the ledge.

“You didn't say for how long.”

She started to run off again.

“NO ONE LIKES A SMART ALEC THEIF!” Lance shouted as he gave chase.

Allura raced across the rooftops with grace and well-practised ease. Lance wasn’t quite as sure-footed but he still making a valiant effort to catch up with the red-clad thief.

It came to a head when Allura stopped at the edge of one of the buildings. Thinking he caught her, Lance started to close in.

“Au revoir,” she said with a small wave before grabbing hold of her hat and jumping off.

Lance could only look on in shock and awe as Allura opened her glider and flew off.

Said awe was cut short when the roof tile under Lance’s foot gave way.

* * *

Romelle was busy bringing the officers that had been called in up to speed.

“And where is your partner now?” One of the officer’s asked.

Romelle’s answer was interrupted by a loud crash and the sound of a car alarm going off. She turned to see that Lance had fallen off the roof onto the hood and windshield of their car.

Lance let out a pained groan as he picked himself up.

“Lance?” Romelle said in dismay. “Did you just…?”

“Never mind that!” Lance interjected. “Where in the world is Allura Sandiego!”

* * *

A short flight and quick outfit change later Allura boarded the train set to take her to Paris. Pidge had sorted out her ticket during the flight over.

“First class,” Allura commented as she entered the cabin. “Very nice.”

“My treat Red,” Pidge said over the comms. “You’ve earned it.”

“Let me know when we have an update on the second part of tonight’s mission.”

“Will do.”

Allura heard the door to her cabin open again. She spun round to see a familiar figure holding a rod that crackled with electricity.

“Hello Princess.”

Before Allura could react a series of mild shocks washed over her, causing her to drop the bag.

“Seriously Keith? Static cling?”

“Side effect of the directional E.M.P. field,” Keith replied.

Meaning that while the rod was still on, none of Allura’s tools would work.

“The crackle rod isn’t usually your style,” Allura commented as she took a seat.

“Considering all those fancy toys you started carrying, it was either this or stabbing you on sight.”

“I appreciate you showing restraint.”

“And I appreciate you sitting there quietly while the train takes us to Paris,” Kieth said as he sat down across from Allura  


“What’s in Paris?” Allura asked.

“You know exactly what’s waiting for you Paris.”

Allura did know. The cleaners would undoubtedly be there ready with a chopper to take her back to V.I.L.E. Island.

“I am never going back to V.I.L.E.” Allura said defiantly.

“Then you shouldn’t have started robbing from them when you left the island,” Keith said bluntly. “Or at least not made yourself so easy to find.”

“You mean the bait you left?” Allura asked. “I knew it was bait and I found the tracker on it. I was simply hoping it was you that would find me.”

Keith rolled his eyes.

“Typical Princess, always with something to prove.”

“Stop using my old V.I.L.E. codename, I go by Allura now,” Allura replied. “And if memory serves me right, you had just as much to prove back at the academy.”

“Maybe, but I never turned traitor,” Keith said darkly.

“That’s fair I guess,” Allura conceded. “I suppose you want an explanation.”

“Save your explanations for the faculty,” Keith replied. “I’m just here to do a job.”

“Aren’t you the least bit curious about why I’m doing all this?”

“Not really.”

“It’s going to be a boring train ride with us just staring at each other. A story could help to pass the time.”

“Or I could just use the stun setting on this thing and enjoy the train ride in peace.” Keith then noticed the face Allura was making. “Are you seriously pouting at me right now?”

“Is it working?”

Keith let out an irritated grunt but ultimately relented.  


“You have until the train reaches Paris, make it count.”


	2. Becoming Allura Sandiego

Lance raced along the road as fast as he could in his car, thankful that the damage from the fall hadn’t too badly affected its ability to drive. After bringing Romelle and the authorities up to speed, he ordered them to secure the crime while he gave chase, hoping to catch Allura before she made it to the train station. 

Unfortunately, he only arrived in time to watch the train depart the station. In an ideal world, Lance would have called to have officers at the next stop ready to search the train as soon as it arrived but since he had been operating in a jurisdictional grey area this entire time that wasn’t really an option. So now he was racing along the road, hoping to make it to the next station in time.

* * *

“You have until the train reaches Paris, make it count.”

Allura began to tell the tale of her life on V.I.L.E. island, back when she was called Princess.

* * *

_From what I've been told, I was found as a baby. Abandoned by the side of a road just outside Buenos Aires, Argentina. A set of Russian nesting dolls were my only belongings. I was brought to an island paradise... that just happened to be home to a school for thieves. That's right: V.I.L.E. Academy. It was no grade school, but I was home-schooled by a revolving door of nannies. Some taught me how to read and write, and most taught me about the diverse places they were from,_ their languages, _their cultures._ I was found without a note or any ID. So I was given the code name Princess. 

_I got to hang out on campus with the big kids.I was literally the only child on the Isle of V.I.L.E. Which meant I got away with murder. Sure, the Campus of Crime was no place for children, but I never once felt like I was in danger. I was part of the family. I had protection. I never learned who found me as a baby but from the way she would always come to my support and protection, I suspected it was Coach Brunt. As for the rest of faculty they each had their own way of approaching me. Countess Cleo tried to turn me into a sophisticated lady, with mixed results. Maelstrom seemed to watch me like some sort of social experiment. Dr Bellum would try to involve me in some of her experiments. As for the fifth member of the faculty._

* * *

A young Princess say at the table while a man with orange hair and a moustache lay down three playing cards, two jacks and a queen of hearts. He also placed a cupcake on the table.

“Alright Princess, the game is called ‘Find the Lady’ or ‘Three-card Monte’,” Coran said as he flipped the cards face down one at a time. “You have two guesses to find the queen. Find it and the cupcake is yours.”

Princess stared intently at the cards as Coran moved them around. Finally Coran stopped and moved his hands away from the cards. 

“Alright Princess, find the Lady.” 

After a moment of thought, Princess took the card on the left and flipped it over to reveal a jack.

“What?” Princess said in surprise. “But I was watching the cards.”

“It would appear not closely enough,” Coran commented.

After a moment of deliberation, Princess flipped over the card on the right, revealing a second jack.

“And with that the cupcake is mine.”

As Coran reached for the cupcake, Princess grabbed the last card and flipped it over, revealing a third jack.

“You cheated,” Princess accused.

“It’s only cheating if you break the rules that are agreed on. Anything else is either creative thinking and poor communication. I only said you had two guesses of where the queen was, I never said it was still on the table,” Coran replied. “Never assume people are playing by the same rules as you are.”

Princess could pout at this, causing Coran to chuckle. 

“Tell you what, we’ll split the cupcake.”

“Alright,” Princess said, conceding that half a cupcake was still better than no cupcake. “But where was the queen?”

Coran pulled out a small mirror. Princess looked into it and saw the queen of hearts sticking out of the hair on the top of her head.

"How?"

"A lesson for another time Princess," Coran said as he hand Princess her half of the cupcake

* * *

_Coran didn’t spend a lot of time with me but when he did, he always seemed to have some sort of lesson he wanted to teach me._ _The island was my world. For all I knew, the Earth was square. There was no right or wrong. Thievery was a competition, a game. One I was ready to play for real. I couldn't bear watching 40 thieves graduate from the academy year after year. Until finally I got the push I need._

* * *

Princess was sitting in her room when the largest of her nesting dolls started vibrating so much it fell off the shelf. Acting quickly, Princess caught it before it hit the ground. She opened it up to reveal a phone she had stolen from the boatman who brought Cookie Booker each year.

She saw a picture of a white hat and a message appear on the screen.

**Better beef up your security. I got in.**

Princess looked at the message in confusion before typing a response.

**"Got in"? Where? Here?**

Princess almost dropped the phone when it started to ring. After checking she was still alone, she tentatively pressed the answer button.

“Hello?”

* * *

On the other side of the phone, on the side of the world, a young girl sat at her computer.

“Who is this?” She asked.

“Princess,” was the reply.

“Come on, what's your real name?”

“Princess,” the voice on the other end said more insistently.

“Okay, usernames work,” the young hacker said with a shrug. “You can call me... Player.”

There suddenly was a banging on her door.

“PIDGE! OPEN UP!”

“NOT NOW MATT!” Pidge shouted back. “I’M BUSY!”

“WELL PUT WHAT YOU’RE DOING ON HOLD, MOM’S ABOUT CALL THE THAI PLACE TO ORDER DINNER AND SHE WANTS TO KNOW WHAT YOU WANT.”

“TELL HER I’LL HAVE A CHICKEN LAKSA WITH SOME SPRING ROLLS!”

“OKAY PIDGE! I’LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN IT GETS HERE!”

“Who was that?” Princess asked.

Pidge suppressed a groan when she realised she had forgotten to mute her microphone.

“My brother.”

“Why’d he call you ‘Pidge’? I thought you said your name was ‘Player’.”

“Player is my username,” Pidge explained. “Pidge is just what my brother calls me no matter how much I tell him to stop.”

“I see,” Princess replied. “And do you really wear a white hat?”

“No,” Pidge replied. “It’s just an icon I use to signal that I’m a white hat hacker.”

“A what?”

“A white hat hacker,” Pidge repeated. “I have wicked hacking skills, but I use them for good.”

“Okay, that doesn't even make sense.”

“Sure it does. I just hacked through 27 layers of encryption,” Pidge explained. “So who do I inform over there about the weak link so you can upgrade your security?”

“Are you messing with me?” Princess asked. “Where are you calling from?”

“My room. In Niagara Falls.”

Princess let out an excited gasp

“Seriously? Which side of the falls?”

“Canadian.”

“You're in Ontario?”

“Whoa, you really know your geography,” Pidge commented.

“What's it like there?” Princess asked.

“It's alright,” Pidge said with a shrug. “We have computers, and internet, and... Hey, where in the world are you?”

“School.”

Pidge raised an eyebrow.

“What kind of school needs 27 layers of encryption?"

* * *

_Making contact with someone from the outside world was just the push I needed. It was time to state my case to the only family I knew._

Allura stood in front of the five members of Vile faculty.

“Princess, why have you requested our audience?” Maelstrom asked.

“I'm ready.” Princess said confidently. 

“To enrol?”

“I know I'm not technically old enough, Professor Maelstrom, but I already have what it takes to be an awesome thief. Best ever!” After seeing the hard look Maelstrom was giving her, Princess added a meek. “Um... in, in my opinion, Sir.”

“Princess may be young, but she has had more training at her age than any recruit, even if only by osmosis,” Dr Bellum said.

“Dr Bellum is right. Princess’s got gumption,” Coach Brunt added. “I'd say she's ready to run with the big dogs.”

“I, for one, am not sure I’m ready to deal with Princess in a classroom setting,” Countess Cleo commented. “While I’ve made admirable strides in teaching her manners, she’s still very feral.”

“Precisely why she might be overdue for properly supervised training, Countess Cleo,” Maelstrom said thoughtfully. “And you, Coran?”

“We accept students at a certain age for a reason,” Coran said harshly. “Just because she thinks she’s ready doesn’t mean she has the maturity to handle this.”

“But we've never met a case for advanced placement until now,” Bellum countered. 

“And the last time I checked, majority vote rules,” Brunt added.

Rather than answer his colleagues, Coran instead turned to Princess.

“Princess, you had better be certain that becoming a professional thief is what you truly desire,” He said while giving her a hard look. “For if you choose this road, there will be _no turning back.”_

“I want this more than anything,” Princess replied. “And I am willing to go to the end of the line.”

With that, Maelstrom called for a vote.

“All in favour?” 

Maelstrom, Bellum, Brunt and Cleo all raised their hands. Coran gave Princess one last hard look before standing up and leaving, his displeasure at the outcome evident.

* * *

_With that, I was officially enrolled for that year's class of 40 thieves. It was where I met my future partners in crime._

* * *

Keith walked through the halls of V.I.L.E. academy, heading towards his room, when a girl with snow-white hair ran up beside him.

“Hi there,” She said. “I’m Princess.”

“Good for you,” Keith said with clear disinterest.

“And you are...?”

“Not interested in chatting with the class mascot.”

Keith started to walk off, pointedly ignoring the sour look Princess was giving him.

“Cool knife.”

Keith turned to see Princess holding his dagger. He promptly saw red.

* * *

Later Keith and Princess found themselves in Coach Brunt’s office, both covered in various cuts and bruises.

“Alright you two, I’m willing to overlook this little scrap of yours just this once,” Brunt said sternly. “But from now on save the roughhousing for combat class.”

“Yes Couch Brunt,” Keith and Princess said in unison.

“Good dismissed.”

Keith left first. As Princess started to leave, Brunt placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Nice job in showing the other dogs that you have teeth,” Brunt whispered with a wink.

* * *

It was later that Keith and Princess learned that they were roommates. The two sat on opposite beds staring at each other. Finally Princess broke the silence.

“Sorry I touched your knife.”

Keith looked at her sceptically before grudgingly saying, “Sorry I called you a mascot.”

Princess held out her hand.

“Truce?”

Keith took hold of her hand and shook it.

“Truce,” Keith pulled Princess in closer. “But touch my dagger again and you’ll start losing body parts.”

Princess looked Keith right in the eye and replied. “Call me a mascot again and you won’t wake up the next morning.”

Their roommates watched this exchange nervously.

“Is it too late to ask for a room change?” one of them asked.

_Despite awkward first impressions, we became friends. Side by side as we attended our classes._

Coran stood in front of the class, idly twirling a playing card through his fingers. 

“Now students, to succeed in this class you must develop a nimble touch…”

The card vanished, only to appear in his other hand.

“...a mastery of misdirection…”

He threw the card in the air. It spun as it came down until his hand shot out and caught it without even looking…”

“...keen reflexes... and when required…”

The card burst into flames.

“A flair for the theatrics. At it’s core, stealth is the art of not being seen. You achieve by either making yourself unseen or by controlling where everyone is looking. But first we need to develop a nimble touch and the surest way to do that is through origami. The japanese art of paper folding.”

What followed next was an hour of students painstakingly trying to follow Coran’s instructions in folding paper. 

Princess soon got the hang of it but when she wanted to show Coran her progress he simply walked past her as if she didn’t exist.

_As if overnight, Coran grew cold and for the most part seemed to ignore my existence. It was clear he didn’t think I belonged in crime school but that just made me want to prove him wrong even more. We really honed our skills. We studied hard, and we trained hard. Though we also played hard._

Princess and her roommates were in detention, after a certain water balloon incident, coming up with their codenames.

“I shall be Le Chevre. Like the nimble mountain goat, I take the high ground!”

“Like the burrowing mole, El Topo takes the low!”

“I've earned my stripes. Call me Tigress.”

Everyone turned to Keith.

“What shall we call you?” Le Chevre asked. “Mr Slicer? The Blade? Chop chop? The Dour Stabber?”

“Keith,” he replied bluntly.

“But...Keith is already your name,” El Topo said in confusion.

“Code names only serve a purpose when you have a civilian identity to protect,” Keith replied. “I have no civilian life to protect so I’m not going to waste my time with silly code name.”

“Even so Keith isn’t exactly a name that inspires fear and respect,” Le Chevre said frankly.

Le Chevre felt his legs swept out from under him. Before his head hit the ground Keith grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

“Then I’ll make people fear and respect it.”

Keith released Le Chevre and walked off.

“Real talk,” Tigress said. “That was kinda hot.”

* * *

“Why are you telling me stuff I was there for?” Keith asked.

“It’s called adhering to a narrative structure.”

“It’s called wasting my time,” Keith replied irritably.

“You said I had until the train reached Paris,” Allura reminded him. “Don’t complain about how I use my time.”

Rather than replying Keith just let out a huff.

* * *

Lance continued his pursuit of the train in his car. He had missed the train at another stop but it had been close enough that he still had hope that he’d be able to catch it. His phone phone rang.

“Romelle? Is the crime scene secure?”

“You’re not going to believe this,” Romelle said. “But the purported crime scene is actually filled with stolen goods of all kinds. Cash, bonds, art…”

“What? Was the apartment owner not the robbery victim?”

“That's what I said. So I did some fact-checking. The owner on record isn't an individual, but an import-export company. But even more intriguing, the places Carmen Sandiego recently robbed -- the Swiss Bank, the art gallery in Cairo, the Shanghai amusement park -- all have ties to the same company.”

“Romelle, it may be a concussion from when I fell off the roof but I’m not sure what you’re trying to say.”

“Well, what if, for whatever reason, Carmen Sandiego were a thief who only steals from other thieves?”

Lance did not have time to follow this train of thought when the car started to give out. He looked down and saw he was out of fuel.

“OH COME ON!!!”

As he got out of the car he saw a small plane land in a nearby airfield, giving the inspector an idea. 

“Interpol! Official business. I am commandeering this aircraft!”

* * *

“The school year came and went. I couldn't wait to graduate and plot our first caper as V.I.L.E. operatives. We just needed to ace our final exams, and we'd be professional thieves.”

“But that didn’t exactly work out,” Keith said bluntly. “A failed grade, a train wreck of a mission in Morocco and then the next thing I hear you’ve pulled off some great escape off of the island and start calling yourself Allura Sandiego.”

“I didn’t fail,” Allura corrected. “That grade was stolen from me. The test was simple, two minutes to steal a dollar note out of a jacket that Coran was wearing. Yet no matter how many pockets I searched, I couldn’t find it. It was only later that I realised why, the coat had been empty.”

“Are you saying Coran cheated?” Keith asked.

“He did, and when I confronted him, it went about as well as you’d expect.”

* * *

“I want a do-over!”

“Which you will have, _next year,_ once you redo your coursework,” Coran replied.

“You're not hearing me,” Princess said. “Put on the coat. I want a do-over now.”

“I’m sorry Princess but we do not bend policy for other students, so we really must stop doing it for you. Good night.”

Coran tried to walk off but Princess wasn’t finished.

“The coat was empty, wasn't it?”

“Are you accusing a V.I.L.E. instructor of cheating?” Coran asked, anger rising in his voice. “As I recall, you accused me of the same thing when I taught you three card Monte. Tell me, are you the same naive little child throwing accusations just because things didn’t go your way. When will you accept your failings and start to see the big picture?”

“The big picture is I know I'm as good as anyone in my class. Better, even. And I know you know it too.”

“And you also happen to be unruly, undisciplined, and entitled! I would strongly urge that you find a way to get those qualities in check, since they seem to be holding you back.”

Coran walked off, leaving Princess seething.

* * *

“That was the push I needed to take matters into my own hands and join you on your mission to Morocco.”

“Speaking of which,” Keith interjected. “I didn’t appreciate you tackling me out of the helicopter.”

Allura simply shrugged.

“I didn’t have a parachute so I improvised. But Morocco opened my eyes, Stealing isn't a game. It does harm people. Especially when you're willing to steal lives. Naturally, things were strained on my forced return to the Isle of V.I.L.E. Sure I was on my best behaviour, but I still had to endure Coach Brunt's guilt. And Dr. Bellum's surveillance. And Countess Cleo's attempts to tame my wild side. And Professor Maelstrom's freaky psych exams. But the worst part? I never felt more alone in my life. The Cleaners had confiscated my phone, my only lifeline to the outside world. When the new school year began, I pretended to throw myself into my coursework. But I was really just biding my time, waiting for my moment to strike. That moment came on December first, when V.I.L.E.'s bookkeeper arrived on the island. But even though I managed to escape with my phone, a hard drive full of V.I.L.E. data and a stylish new look, I hadn’t expected there to be a stowaway.” 

* * *

Princess sped the boat across the water, savouring the feeling of finally being free of V.I.L.E.

“Very nicely done Princess.”

Princess spun round to see Coran standing there. He raised his hands in surrender when he saw her enter an attack stance.

“Easy there, I’m not here to fight.”

“I’m going back,” Princess said defiantly. 

“Believe me, the last thing I want is to take you back.”

“Why should I believe you?”

“You were right, the coat was empty,” Coran admitted. “You nothing less than the very finest pickpocket in your class but I failed you because I did not wish for you to succeed in crime school.”

“Why?”

“Because I could not bear the thought of you being faced with having to choose a path of evil”

* * *

“So you are working with Coran,” Keith commented.

There had been speculation at V.I.L.E. about Coran’s recent absence. Some thought Coran had left with Princess, some thought Princess had killed Coran, some thought Coran had left on a secret mission that just happened at the same time by coincidence. The faculty had tried to keep things quiet and had an official story about Coran being out hunting for Princess even within a secret criminal organisation tongues were prone to waging.

“No, Coran is working with me,” Allura clarified. “So on that boat ride, Coran told me how he had found me whilst on a mission, about the true nature of V.I.L.E. otherwise known as the Villians International League of Evil, and how he had wanted to get me away from V.I.L.E. for years but until now he could make a move without faculty finding out and tracking us down before we could cover our tracks. Once we made landfall, he gave me fresh ID papers and access to a secret bank account, clearly hoping for me to create new life for myself far away from the reach of V.I.L.E.”

“That didn’t exactly work out,” Keith commented.

“Not quite like he intended,” Allura agreed. “While he got to work covering our tracks and throwing V.I.L.E. off our trail, I took a flight to Canada to finally meet a dear friend in person.”

* * *

Samuel looked out the kitchen window at the white haired girl his daughter was talking to in the garden. 

“So how exactly does she know Katie?” He asked his wife.

“Katie finally has a friend that’s human, not related to and that she’s not staring at through a computer screen,” Colleen replied bluntly. “I’m not going to question this unless I absolutely have to.”

Meanwhile Pidge and Princess sat in the garden. After finishing telling Pidge the full story, Princess took in a deep breath as she took in her surroundings.

“It’s really nice here,” Princess commented.

“Yeah it’s alright,” Pidge said dismissively. “I mean, it’s no tropical paradise in the canary islands but it’s got its good points.”

“Believe me, not being a tropical island works in its favour.”

“So what’s your plan now?” Pidge asked. “Hop on a plane and go see the world?”

Princess thought wistfully about that idea. She would love nothing more than to put V.I.L.E and everything else about that accursed island behind her. To finally go see the world and maybe start to get some answers about her past. And yet...

“I can’t walk away. Not yet at least,” Princess replied. “V.I.L.E. is evil and their schemes must be stopped.”

“Yeah they’re evil, I mean it’s right in the name.” Pidge commented dryly. “And why include both villain and evil in the name? That seems a little redundant.”

Princess looked at Pidge with a raised eyebrow.

“That’s the part you’re hung up on?”

“More ideal curiosity,” Pidge replied with a shrug. “Though if you’re serious about taking them down, I’m in.”

“Are you sure? It could be dangerous. Besides, don’t you have school.”

“I skipped a grade and already graduated highschool so it’s this or early acceptance into college,” Pidge replied. “Frankly this sounds like a lot more fun and there is no way I’m letting my friend take on V.I.L.E. alone.”

Princess pulled out the hard drive she had stolen from V.I.L.E.

“If you’re sure.”

“Absolutely,” Pidge said as she took the hard drive. “Pidge and Princess, taking down V.I.L.E., this is going to be awesome.”

“Not Princess. I’m done with V.I.L.E., that includes the name they gave me.”

“Fair enough. So what do I call you?”

* * *

“That still doesn’t explain why you decided to stick with the red hat and coat or why you chose the name ‘Allura Sandiego’,” Keith commented.

“I kept the look because I liked it,” Allura explained. “As for the name, that’s a story for another time. We’re almost at our stop.”

Keith glanced out the window and saw the train was starting to pull into the Paris station.

“Alright then,” he said. “So are you going to come quietly or will I need to stun you?”

“I could come with you,” Allura conceded. “Or you could come with me.”

“Seriously? That’s your play?” Keith asked in dismay. “Get me to defect from V.I.L.E. as well?”

“You’re not evil Keith. You’re blunt, impulsive and angry at like 95% percent of the world. You think you’re too far in turn back but eventually V.I.L.E. going to order you cross a line you’re not willing to and when you refuse, V.I.L.E. will end you.”

“I’ll take my chances,” Keith replied.

“I know what happened to Shiro.”

That got Keith’s attention.

“What?”

“Three years ago, Takashi Shirogane, or Shiro as most people know him, went missing. He was kidnapped by V.I.L.E. and brainwashed into being a cleaner.”

“I’ve met the cleaners,” Keith replied skeptically.

“You’ve met Vlad and Boris, the two head cleaners faculty like to keep on hand for the more high profile matters,” Allura explained. “V.I.L.E. has cleaners all around the world protecting V.I.L.E. assets and cleaning up potential messes. Most work for V.I.L.E. willing but there are a limited amount of people in the world with the required skillset and psychological profile to be effective cleaners. So Maelstrom and Bellum had the idea of finding candidates with the right skill set and then tinkering with their mind so that they have the right psychological profile. That’s what they did with Shiro.”

Keith hated to admit it but that certainly felt like the sort of thing V.I.L.E. would pull.

“So what, if I join you you’ll help me rescue Shiro.”

“Rescuing Shiro was always the plan,” Allura explained. “I was never going to leave someone trapped as V.I.L.E.’s puppet. In fact, that was part of the reason we came to Poitier.”

* * *

Shiro watched from the shadows as law enforcement continued to flood into Countess Cleo’s residence in Poitier.

“Site compromised,” he said into a phone “Human assets vacated but other belongings lost. Commencing cleansweep protocols.”

A couple of arms reached out and grabbed him. Before he could fight back a rag of chloroform was placed over his mouth and nose.

* * *

“All going to plan, my team will have taken him to a safe location so that we can undo the brainwashing. You being here was just a happy accident but now that you are it gave me a chance to give you the full picture of what V.I.L.E. truly is and what they took from you.”

“I’m going to need more than just your word.”

“I’d be happy to provide you with proof but you know…” Allura pointedly eyed the crackle rod.

Keith gave her a hard look before disabling the emp field. 

“This better not be a trick.

Allura took out her phone and turned on the speaker phone.

“Player? Is Shiro secure.”

“There you are Red, been trying to reach you for ages,” Pidge said. “Shiro is secure.”

“Show me,” Keith demanded.

“Is that Emo McStab-Stab? Nice to finally meet you.”

“NOW!”

“Alright alright, sending a photo now.”

An image appeared of an unconscious adult male. He had a more wrinkles and a patch of white hair that Keith didn’t remember him having but there was no mistaking that it was Shiro.  
“Come with me now and I will take you to him,” Allura said. “Then when we’ve reversed the brainwashing we’ll give you two fresh identities and then you can go live a life away from V.I.L.E. It’s your choice.”

Before Keith could answer. Lance burst through the door.

“Allura Sandiego! You are under arrest!” He declared before he noticed Keith standing there. “Who are you?”

“Keith.”

Before Lance could respond, Keith’s boot connected with the inspector’s face.

“Who was that?” Pidge asked, still on speakerphone.

“A surprisingly persistent Interpol agent that forgot to protect the face,” Allura answered before turning to Keith. “Coming?”

Keith nodded and the two left the cabin, stepping over Lance’s unconscious body.

“And before I forget. Thank you.”

“For what?” Keith asked.

“For returning this to me,” Allura opened the bag to reveal her old Russian nesting dolls.

Keith shrugged.

“As you said, it was bait. The idea had been to use it to track you down.”

“That’s why I knew it was you who had left it,” Allura answered as they stepped onto the station platform. “You knew that even in a room full of treasure, it was the one thing I wouldn’t be willing to leave behind a second time.”

Allura removed the tracking device and stuck it on the train as it started to depart.

“It’s a link to your past,” Keith answered, his hand idly resting on his dagger. “I know how important that is.”


End file.
